Silent Kali
by Anteyra
Summary: A new threat comes to the peace loving abbey dwellers of Redwall. Will a warrior rise up and defeat the evil, or has Redwall seen it's last days? First Redwall story. please R'n'R.
1. Riggum Tavey, Story Teller

A gentle breeze blew through the tops of the trees, causing the last few leaves to flutter to the ground. 2 small birds glided through the air back to their nest as darkness drew in. the stars shone and the full moon lit up the bare trees. Winter in Mossflower woods had arrived. The nights were drawing in and getting colder. The woods were silent and still, only the branches and blades of grass swayed in the wind. A drop of water splashed on a crisp brown elm leaf, followed by a few more, and then more drops. The light shower turned into heavier rain.

The crackle of burning embers indicated to a young mouse that more wood was needed on the fire. He stood up and moved to the pile that lay in one corner of the Great Hall. An older mouse repositioned his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he watched the little mouse place another log on the fire. He then gazed around the room, noting who was present. He eyes rested on the stone arched doorway of the grand room, noticing the shadows slowly move across, he got to his feet.

"Our guest has arrived." He announced. All eyes suddenly turned to the entrance and everyone watched as an elderly hare, followed by a younger hare, tottered forward, using a crooked oak wood stick as a support to help him walk. "It's good to see you again old friend." The mouse said as he walked over, greeting the hare with a hug.

"Do I smell tucker in here, wot? I say give an old hare vittles, or he'll starve to death!" the old hare's voice was hoarse, but everyone could still hear what he said. Chuckles went round the room at the hare's remark. The mouse looked at a young squirrelmaid and gestured for her to fetch some food. From the kitchens. She stood and disappeared through a doorway the opposite end. The mouse looked back at their guest.

"No matter what the situation, you always think of food don't you, Riggum Tavey?" he smiled.

"I say, Marrino, give a chap a chair, before my old legs fall off! Wot." Riggum Tavey ordered, waving his stick around a little and nearly falling off balance. If Marrino and the young hare had not been standing near, Riggum would be on the floor, but most likely laughing. At his immediately stick waving, those seated stood up offering their seat for their guest.

"Please have my chair, it's very comfy." One mouse called.

"Here Riggum Tavey, this one's by the fire" called a stout male squirrel.

"Putten yourzelf daown 'ere mizzur Tavey. Et's a noice chair. Ohh ar." A mole stood up, slightly pushing his chair towards Riggum.

Marrino's hands went up in the air, forcing silence in the Great Hall. "Mr Tavey has his special chair. Tannon, would you be a good fellow and fetch it for your grandfather?"

"Right oh sah! Anything you say sah!" the young hair performed a smart salute and galloped off into the kitchens. Marrino led Riggum, slowly, over to the roaring fire where Tannon was patiently waiting with a high backed chair. The two of them helped the old creature to sit down and then stood back as a tray of food was brought out and laid on a small table by the chair.

"Thank you me gel." Riggum said, taking the young squirrelmaid's paw and kissing it softly. "You've saved an old soldier's belly from starvation." The squirrelmaid smiled, curtsied and sat down at her place next to her mother. One paw covered up her cheek, but everyone know that she was embarrassed by Riggum's gesture.

Riggum looked at the tray and picked up a beaker. He held it up to his nose and sniffed. "Elderflower and Pear Cordial. My favourite, wot!" He took a swig of it and smiled. "Jolly good sah, I commend you."

Marrino returned the smile. "We always make sure there's a barrelful when we know you're coming to visit." The two friends laughed along with others who knew the hare well.

A small group of the abbeybabes, known as dibbuns, had gathered around Riggum's feet. Each little pair of eyes gazed up at Riggum as he ate and drank.

"Are you gonna tell uz a storwee?" One of them finally asked after a bit of nudging from his friends.

Riggum looked at the mousebabe from over the rim of the beaker. He replaced it on the tray and carefully bent forward, picking up the babe and placing him on his lap. "I guess I could tell you chaps and chapesses a story." The dibbuns squealed with excitement, then quickly settled down waiting for Riggum to begin. Others had moved closer, some sitting on the floor, others perched on their chairs and stools. All eyes were on Riggum Tavey, the elderly hare.

"I can tell you a true story of what happened within these jolly walls, many, many seasons before I was born. It's a story of creatures, just like yourselves, and others. It's both a happy and a sad story. But just remember this… not everyone you know is of good heart." Riggum took a bite of his mushroom and leek pasty and another swig of his cordial. The mousebabe in his lap quickly began picking up the tiny crumbs fallen in Riggum's fur, and popped them into his mouth. Riggum looked around him. "Are you all sitting comfortably?" His question was greeted by a response of 'yes' from all around the room. "Then I shall begin."


	2. In The Beginning

Stumbling through the dense undergrowth and massive sycamores, a terrified mother clutched her babe closer to her chest. Blood dripping from her face, fell onto the babe's tiny head. With one hand she held onto her child, in the other she clasped the small hand of her young son, a fear falling down his cheek. They had travelled for many miles and not eaten for a couple of days. The look in the ferret mother's eyes showed only fear, fear that no other could possibly describe unless they had met a ruthless foe.

Her legs could not carry her any longer. She fell to her knees breathing heavily, the dew on the grass from the misty summer's morning seeped onto her red tunic, dampening it. She let go of her son's hand and tightly hugged that which she had sacrificed her life to save. Her eyes clouded over and gently closed, collapsing to the ground where she lay, still and lifeless. Her babe lying on the ground next to her.

The young son looked at his mother, then the tears began to flow. He crawled round the other side and gently picked up his sister, cradling her as best he could. This was a day that he would never forget and hoped that his sister would never remember.

He sat for a long time, not knowing where to go or what to do. The sun was beginning to set in the west, dipping behind the trees, creating long shadows. Still he sat.

&&&&&

Not far away, a badger and her two cubs were heading back to their den after a long day of foraging the forest for food. Autumn was approaching and they needed to stock up. They stopped for a minute and opened their sacks. Fruits, roots and vegetables spilled onto the ground as one of the cubs turned her sack upside down and shook the contents out. Her mother looked at her and the mess now surrounding her on the ground.

"You be careful with those, Babeny." She said as she moved over, picking up an apple and shaking it at her daughter. "We'll need that for the winter." Babeny grabbed the apple and stuffed it back in the sack, and then hastened to pick up the food and place it back into her brown sack. Her mother sighed as she watched her, then glanced at her other daughter, who had her head inside the sack carefully taking count of what she had gathered. "I see you still need to learn some manners. Why can't you be like your sister?"

"Sorry mother." Babeny replied, quickly popping a small wild strawberry into her mouth in the hopes she wasn't seen. She was lucky, this time. Her mother, who's name was Maro, was busy watching her other daughter. She had moved over to some bushes and looked as though she was carefully listening to something, or someone.

Babeny began chewing on an apple and moved over. The sound then became obvious to the badger family.

"It's sounds like some beast is crying, doesn't it mother?" Her voice was soft and gentle, her eyes sparkled as she looked into her mother's eyes. Maro could not give an answer before the young badger moved off, behind some more trees and bushes.

"What's Bronya heard this time mum?" Babeny asked, a mouthful of apple.

Maro turned to her, her face in shock. "Babeny!" She shouted, her voice echoing slightly through the trees around them. "What have I told you about eating from the haversacks?" Immediately Babeny stopped chewing. "You will have to pick more tomorrow!"

The miscreant young badger looked down at the ground and slowly swallowed what was left in her mouth. "Sorry mother"

A shout from behind the trees took Maro's attention off her misbehaving child. She bounded through the trees to where Bronya stood, and came to a standstill at the sight. The first thing her hazel eyes caught was the body of a female ferret, dressed in a damp red tunic, and blood covering her fur. She was dead. Bronya slowly moved over to the two young ferrets huddled together, and crouched down beside them. "You poor little things," hearing the badger's voice the boy immediately knew that she was friendly and would do no harm to him or his sister.

"Mother." He said, sadness distinct in his voice. He let go of his sister and moved over to the battered corpse that had once been his mother. Maro looked between the two ferret children and Bronya.

"She's been slain." Babeny pointed out and as slowly moved out from behind a bush. The half-eaten apple still clutched in her paw. She studied the body for a few seconds, noting each wound she could see on the body.

As soon as the ferret boy saw the food he stood up and slowly walked over to the badger, his arms outstretched, reaching towards the shiny, green apple. Babeny took one look at the apple and the ferrets, knelt down and held it out of him to take. A small smile crossed his face as he slowly took the offered food from her. He took a bite out of it and then began walking over to his sister, breaking off a small piece as he went. Upon reaching her he placed in her mouth and she happily began to suck on it, taking out all the juices and quenching her thirst. He turned and looked at Babeny. "Thank you."

"Mother, what are we going to do with them?" Bronya asked as she moved over to stand next to Maro.

"They're ferrets!"

"They're only little. They won't do anything to harm us." Babeny exclaimed, arguing back and moving closer to her mother. "They'll die out here all on their own."

Maro thought for a second. "I guess we could take them to Redwall. I'm sure they would look after them." At the mention of the abbey the badger cub's eyes lit up, they always loved going there, playing games with the dibbuns and sharing stories. Most of all Babeny loved the food, the fruit orchards and the pond was where any beats would find her is she went missing during her visits there. Some beats could easily say that Babeny had been brought up by hares due to her large appetite.

Bronya picked up the ferret girl and Babeny scooped up the brother into her strong muscular arms. For just three seasons old Babeny had became quite strong, and was slightly bigger than her sister. Maro had just suspected it was because she was always eating whenever she had seen her.

The badger sisters began to move back to where they had left their sacks of food, when they noticed their mother not moving, just starring at the corpse in the small little clearing.

"You go on to Redwall." She said, not turning her head. "You know the way, I'll catch up later." Without a word, but just a nod, they moved away, leaving their mother to bury the female ferret where she had died.

&&&&&

It was well into evening, the stars were beginning to show in the night sky, by the time Babeny and Bronya arrived at the massive oak gates of Redwall Abbey. After Babeny knocked on the door, the sound of a large bolt could be heard sliding back. It then slowly creaked open on it's old hinges. A small brown head popped round the side of the door, peering out into the darkness to find out who had been knocking.

"Well I say." The old voice croaked out in the darkness. "It's been a while since you two were last here. Please come in." The old mouse said, stepping aside to let the two badgers enter through the door. "What brings you here tonight?"

Bronya looked at Babeny and then at the mouse. "It's what we found in the woods earlier." She looked down into her arms where the ferret babe had snuggled up and was now fast asleep.

"Their mother's been killed." Babeny added.

Reedin, the old gatekeeper and recorder at Redwall, looked at the babe asleep in crook of Babeny's arms. "You best get them inside into the warmth." He said closing the gates behind him. The three of them began walking over to the main building of the red bricked abbey.


	3. Evil From The Beginning

**(A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to come.)**

Up in the northlands, snow was a constant aspect of nature, covering the ground all year round. Winter was a continuous season for the creatures that lived there. One creature that was a resident was Bonuo the Rough, a tall polecat with white fur, except for one dark brown paw, nearly black. His eyes were like the colour of blood, the colour of so many of his victim's blood. Stowed into the belt of his tunic was a long sword, the likes of which had never been seen before. It's forged serrated edge showed no mercy for any beast that met it. This was the same story for many as it was with a small family of shrews. Several others knives and daggers were also placed carefully in his belt.

Three carcasses lay in the reddened snow near a cave entrance, two babes and a shrew-wife. The tall polecat looked at the blade of his sword and licked off the blood with his tongue. He then looked at the sword's victims. "Stumpy! Fang!" he called without taking his eyes off the dead. Two stoats took a step forward from the ranks of the horde. They stood, shivering slightly in the cold air. Without looking at them he spoke. "Git a fire star'ed." He finished licking the blood off his formidable weapon. "Tonigh' we feast on shrews!" a wicked grin crossed his scarred face, showing two long yellowed fangs. He placed his sword carefully into his belt, being careful not to cut himself, and then moved away from his victims.

Taking long strides he made his way through the ranks of his vast horde to a shrew cowering in the snow on his knees. A ferret and a stoat stood around the creature.

"You murderer!" the shrew shouted in between his sobs. "My poor family."

Bonuo just smiled, a wicked smile, at the poor creature's loss. "Yew'll make a great addition to me 'orde." He turned and scanned the horde for a minute before finally resting on the two stoats, frantically trying to light a fire under the bows of a large elm tree.

Stumpy, a tan coloured stoat who's tail had been chopped off during a battle, was using his paws to clear away the snow, uncovering the earth beneath. Fang, who was a dark brown stoat, then piled up the sticks ontop of one another. They continued until they had collected as many twigs as they could find. Then striking flint to stone they waiting till the sparks hit the twigs and started a fire. It only took a minute for a fire to begin. As soon as it had, the two stoats built a spit over the flames so that the shrews could be cooked.

Bonuo the Rough was first to assemble near the fire. The rest of the vermin horde knew better than to go before their leader. He drooled from the corner of his mouth as he watched the dead shrew-wife slowly turn on the spit.

The shrew, Drogun, who had watched his family die, could not watch as the ferrets, stoats, foxes and Bonuo, sank their teeth into their meal. Instead he walked into his den and found his hidden stash of cheese. The rest of the vermin had looted the rest of the stores. A tear trickled down his face as he thought of the lives that had been lost that day.

The ferret who had been standing around Drogun, Ruaf, crawled in through the small opening and into the main chamber of the den. "I know exactly how you're feeling mate." He said as he sat down next to Drogun. "Bonuo killed my wife and two babes. They were both as young as yours."

Drogun looked round at the brown ferret. "He ate them?"

Ruaf shook his head. "I never actually saw what he did to them." The two creatures sat in silence in the shrew's dwelling, sharing the cheese between them.

From inside the dwelling the smell of scorched fur could be detected. The two creatures wrinkled their noses in disgust.

"You were lucky friend." Drogun said quietly as he fought back his tears. Ruaf could only nod his head slowly, knowing exactly what the shrew was talking about.


End file.
